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Home/Core Initiatives/Connections and Collaboration/Engage with ACS Peers

Engage with ACS Peers

In celebration of our 2025 Summer Collaboration Grants, ACS is delighted to present a series of engaging book chats and virtual workshops, all led by teams of faculty and staff from across our member institutions. Taking place from August through October, this lineup includes three book chats and three virtual workshops exploring timely and relevant topics that reflect shared interests across the consortium.

We invite you to scroll down to learn more about each offering and to register for the sessions that speak to your work and curiosity. We look forward to your participation in these community-driven conversations and learning opportunities!

Contact Shiree Williams (swilliams@acsouth.edu) with questions.

Book Chats

Join us for a series of engaging book chats hosted by this summer’s ACS reading groups! Each lunchtime session offers a casual opportunity for all ACS members to drop in and hear informal reflections and key takeaways from the group’s selected book.

These conversations will highlight major themes from the summer readings and explore how they relate to our shared work in higher education. Whether you’re curious about new ideas, looking to connect with colleagues, or simply hoping to be inspired, these book chats offer a welcoming space to listen, learn, and reflect. Scroll below to learn more about each book chat and register.

Understanding the Tumult in Contemporary Higher Education
Understanding the Tumult in Contemporary Higher Education
Facilitators: R. Brit Katz (Southwestern) & Connie Carson (Furman)
September- Date to come

Join us for a lunchtime Book Chat exploring Whatever It Is, I’m Against It: Resistance to Change in Higher Education by Brian Rosenberg. This engaging conversation will reflect on the book’s insights into overcoming institutional resistance and advancing meaningful change within colleges and universities.

Participants from the Summer 2025 reading group will share takeaways from the text, connect recommendations to their own leadership and management approaches, and exchange ideas for practical implementation across ACS campuses. This session is also an opportunity to consider how embracing change can reinvigorate our work and help ease the burnout so many in higher ed are navigating today.
Pedagogy of Kindness by Cate Denial
Pedagogy of Kindness by Cate Denial
Facilitator: Nisha Gupta (Centre College)
Friday, September 12th from 11:00am-12:00pm ET

Join us for a thoughtful conversation exploring Pedagogy of Kindness by Cate Denial—a timely and compassionate framework for reimagining our teaching in the face of rising plagiarism, student disengagement, mental health concerns, and the evolving landscape of inclusive education. Denial invites us to center kindness not as self-sacrifice, but as a belief in our students’ agency and humanity: “It is about believing my students.”
Members of the ACS summer reading group will reflect on their experience with the book, share practical takeaways, and offer recommendations for applying equitable, student-centered, and sustainable pedagogies. Whether you’ve read the book or are simply curious about its themes, all are welcome to this informal, lunchtime discussion designed to inspire connection, care, and renewal in our teaching practices.
Could I Stay or Should I Go? Career Development and Belonging for International Students in the Current American Zeitgeist
Could I Stay or Should I Go? Career Development and Belonging for International Students in the Current American Zeitgeist
Facilitator: Mohammed Forero Bucheli (Rollins College)
Tuesday, August 19th

How can liberal arts colleges more effectively support international students’ career development in an era of shifting immigration policies and political uncertainty?
This Book Chat, inspired by The Good Immigrant (edited by Nikesh Shukla & Chimene Suleyman), brings together reflections from a summer ACS reading group that explored how advising structures can evolve to be more inclusive, human-centered, and justice-oriented. The anthology served as a catalyst for conversations about belonging, immigration, and the often-overlooked barriers international students face when navigating life after graduation.
Join us for a cross-campus conversation that will spotlight new ideas and concrete strategies for building more responsive, globally-minded advising practices. Participants will share emerging insights and a collective reflection document designed to spark ongoing dialogue and institutional action across ACS campuses.

WorkshoPS

ACS is excited to offer a dynamic series of virtual workshops this fall, designed to spark conversation, share innovative practices, and support collaborative learning across our campuses. These engaging sessions are open to all ACS members and focus on timely topics in teaching, leadership, student support, and more.

Each workshop is led by a team of faculty and staff representing two to three ACS campuses, guiding us through practical strategies and thoughtful dialogue on topics such as generative AI in the classroom, equity in recruitment, and more. Whether you’re looking to explore new tools, reflect on shared challenges, or exchange ideas with peers, these workshops provide a welcoming and solutions-focused space. Scroll below to learn more about each session and register.

Prompting Success with Generative AI in Teaching and Student Research
Prompting Success with Generative AI in Teaching and Student Research
Facilitators: Renée Jordan (Morehouse), Celeste N. Lee (Spelman), Natasha K. McClendon (Spelman), Ryan Cales (Richmond) & Andrew Bell (Richmond)
Tuesday, August 13th from 10:00am to 12:30pm ET

Join us for a dynamic, hands-on workshop designed to equip ACS faculty with the tools, strategies, and confidence to use generative AI to support student success. This 2.5-hour session blends two key approaches: using AI to enhance teaching through prompt engineering and integrating AI intentionally into the student research and writing process. Participants will explore how to personalize learning, support diverse student needs, and foster deeper critical thinking, as well as how to scaffold research assignments and build AI literacy.
Faculty will leave with practical tools, sample materials, and a clear framework for aligning AI use with course outcomes. This solutions-focused session emphasizes clarity, intention, and equity in AI-integrated learning. Please come prepared with access to a generative AI platform (e.g., ChatGPT or Gemini). Note: This workshop is centered on student learning and empowerment—not on academic misconduct or detection tools.
PlAI-ing with CLAAI: Critical (and Fun!) Innovation
PlAI-ing with CLAAI: Critical (and Fun!) Innovation
Facilitators: JT Torres (Washington & Lee) & Lauren Craig Tilton (Richmond)
Friday, October 17th from 11:00am-12:00pm ET

Join us for an interactive virtual workshop that blends two powerful lenses on artificial intelligence in higher education. Through the PLAI approach, we’ll play with AI tools in low-stakes, creative ways that spark curiosity and reflection. At the same time, CLAAI offers a critical liberal arts perspective that invites us to interrogate AI’s social, ethical, and institutional impacts—asking what’s at stake for students, faculty, and the future of knowledge. Together, we’ll explore how to stay curious, skeptical, and empowered as educators in an AI-infused academic world. No prior experience with AI tools is required, just an openness to experimentation, uncertainty, and adaptation.
Recruitment Strategies in the Era of the Anti-DEI Crusade
Recruitment Strategies in the Era of the Anti-DEI Crusade
Facilitators: Nicole Fratto Garcia (Trinity) & Marlene Arellano (Davidson)
August 4th at 11 am ET

Description to come.

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